Thursday, February 11, 2016

ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts: Friedman's Shoes

There was a time when a small shoe store in downtown Atlanta was the center of the athletic universe. The time was the turn of the 21st century, the store was Friedman's, and the customers were the biggest names -- and biggest feet -- in sports: Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, Charles Barkley, Dave Winfield, Shaquille O'Neal. Presided over by owner Bruce Teilhaber, Friedman's specialized in large sizes and exotic leathers, and players thought nothing of spending a hundred thousand dollars on footwear. Due to changing tastes and on-line retailers, Friedman's isn't what it used to be. But it's still there, and in this film directed by Danny Lee, Shaq returns to slip his size-22 feet into the good old days.